Viva Goa
our comments
Viva Goa is set in the Crystal Palace triangle, the heart of an area that has become very popular with young home-owners. The triangle has a rich cultural mix of restaurants and Viva Goa, having recently undergone a refurbishment, is a bright and attractive feature of it, offering authentic Goan cuisine from their wide interesting menu, cooked by Goan chefs.
For starters we had the Salmon Peri Peri, two tasty hunks of salmon that had been marinated in Goan red masala before being flame grilled. We also had Pan Fried King Prawn, which had been marinated the same way, dipped in semolina to give it a crunchy coating before being shallow fried. Each of these two dishes had good flavour from the tangy marinade, which added a nice spiciness. We couldn’t resist trying a portion of their onion bhaji, a personal favourite, which were lovely. All three starters were nicely dressed and delivered with a fresh, crunchy, salsa.
On to mains, we chose the Pork Vindaloo, lovely tender cubes of meat sitting in a tangy sauce, flavoured with red chilli, crushed peppercorns, vinegar and cinnamon (amongst other things). It had some heat, but this authentic Goan dish, was not at all fierce, unlike the adaptation that you find in other Indian restaurants, and was very tasty indeed. The Goan Lamb Khada Masala, had good sized pieces of lamb in a thick sauce, of seven spices, onion and tomato paste, all of which gave the dish a lovely depth of flavour. For sides we had the Quiakos Com Cebolas Bardez; okra, lightly fried in onion, tomato, ginger, garlic and vinegar, the okra retaining its crunch and supported beautifully by its sauce. We also asked for Chana Masala, not on the menu but another favourite, that the Chef was happy to prepare, which delivered another spicy hit. We chose two pulao rice dishes, one saffron flavoured and one with peas, both excellent, and a Garlic Nan that was incredibly light and nicely garlicky. Needless to say, having worked our way through most of the above we neither of us had room for desert!
Viva Goa offers a great range of fish, meat and vegetarian options in its menu, the wine list started at just under £11 for the house white, which we had and which was very pleasant, the service was good and attentive. If you like Indian food, but are sometimes overpowered by the heat, you should try Goan cuisine, it is tasty, with some heat, and a good deep flavour. Viva Goa is well worth a visit.
akandpa - May 2008
your comments review this restaurant and win a bottle of champagne
My wife and I came across this restaurant while skimming reviews on london-eating. We were intrigued by some of the good reviews submitted since the restaurant had its face lift. We were very happy that we chose to give this one a shot.
We had several starters between us. The seek Kebab was a very well mixed arrangement of spices that were tantalizing. My wife had a prawn starter described in the other review which she liked. She also had a very unique Squid dish (baby squid), it seemed quite strange as I had not experienced anything like it at any other restaurant but it was very tasty. Lovely tangy, smokey flavours that I attribute to the Goan angle of the restaurant.
The mains were delivered with a presentation of all dishes on a well presented platter beside the table before being served. I had the Goan Lamb which was awesome! The fresh herbs, crushed pepper, chilli, magnificent "fresh" curry leaves all contributed to a superb flavour around the well marinated and succulent lamb. Again nothing I had experienced at an "Indian" restaurant. The Goan receipe paid dividend in my opinion.
My wife ordered the Goan "coconut" prawns. The serving was moderate in size. The flavour of the dish very mild and not spectacular. I liked it though and it complimented my lamb very well. We also had a great okra dish as a side. Really tasty and I am sure would be a great one for the veggies. This was served with a very nice, light and crispy, with nice chunks of crisp garlic, Garlic Naan. All together this went down very well with my Kingfisher beer and I was quite full and content. No dessert for us as we were both quite full.
We liked the service and all members of staff were eager to help and friendly. This was one attribute to the restaurant that we really appreciated because we have become very jaded by London restaurants adding service charge to bills nand insisting on tips even when service is sub-standard. I come from the school of giving a tip based on my experience and resent "automatic" expectations that tips will be given and in most instances have staff ask for them or turn surly if they don't get them. We loved these guys in this regard as they did not add service and were friendly through our entire experience.
For us our experience was enhanced by taking advantage of a half price offer from this website and our total including drinks came to £22.45 for the two of us. Superb value in anyones books. Great atmosphere, great service, great price. We will be going back.
Thanks for introducing us to this little gem london-eating. Don't under estimate the difference you will find in the Goan recipies as opposed to expecting an Indian experience.
Comment on this reader review
Jason
Overall rating 
Food 9 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 9
Friday, September 19, 2008
Hurray for the rebranding of a nice little Indian restaurant. We used to eat here a lot a few years when it was A Taste of India, but we were one of very few, for some reason others didn't seem to share our passion for their extensive menu of authentic Indian food (we've eaten in India too), and their weird choice of Country & Western for back ground music (cowboys and Indians, maybe?). Then they started to lose it, the food started to get generic, they started to do odd themed nights (always a bad sign), then they closed down for a bit. And now they're back, as Viva Goa, and I've got to say, hats off to Paul and Frank, the owners, they've done an excellent job. We went there on Sunday evening, and enjoyed eating exhilaratingly brilliant and authentic Indian food, in a vibrant, busy, friendly atmosphere. Our starters ranged from beautifully cooked crispy fragrant Beef Croquettes to perfectly spiced Sheekh Kebabs, to some of the best Prawn Piri I've ever had. After a few minutes to burp discreetly and digest, our mains arrived; lamb Shaka (possibly!) was gorgeous, the best Chicken Korma this taster had ever had, a Chicken mango peshwari and a wonderfully flavoured vegetarian dish involving flageolet beans and peas and lentils and, i think, celeriac. A range of desserts, including one on the house because we'd never heard of it before, good import Indian lagers, and lovely alchohol free cocktails, and all for less than £80 for 4. Full marks guys!
One drawback, no C&W music any more!
Comment on this reader review
Nik
Overall rating 
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Wednesday, June 04, 2008
I have just received quite possibly the worst Indian take away I have ever had the misfortune to order. Chicken Xacutti = under cooked processed chicken in a brown slop masquerading as a prison gravy and the meanest and most tasteless goa prawn curry AND a completely inedible calamari amot tik. Yes I have spoken to the manager and will have to go to the restaurant and collect our refund!! Absolutely appalled!
Comment on this reader review
flower - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating 
Food 0 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 0 | Value for money 0
Saturday, January 05, 2008
We have eaten in this restaurant several times and have been delighted with the friendly service and excellent food, every time. The restaurant is very cosy and beautifully decorated. The Goan cuisine provides a nice change from your average curry house in this area, with many interesting and delicious dishes. Highly recmmended.
Comment on this reader review
Ellie
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 9
Friday, March 09, 2007
